


Communication Breakdown

by Lucifers_Pony



Series: Over the Hills and Far Away 'Verse [3]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alpha Castiel (Supernatural), Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - Prostitution, Angst, Client Castiel, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Fluff, Formalwear, M/M, Misunderstandings, Omega Dean, Prostitute Dean, Sloppy Makeouts, brother moments, lawyer functions, legal intern sam, mentions of past sexual harrassment
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-28
Updated: 2017-06-28
Packaged: 2018-11-13 03:03:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,894
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11175651
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lucifers_Pony/pseuds/Lucifers_Pony
Summary: At the request of his brother, Dean goes to a fundraising gala at Sam's internship. While there he spots a familiar face and has some revelations about the blue-eyed man. But are things what they seem?





	Communication Breakdown

**Author's Note:**

> No sexy times in this installment but if you stick around they'll be more next time.

Dean tugged at his tie, feeling ridiculous in his rented formal wear. He knew he looked like a monkey in a suit, the fabric itching and pulling at his skin, constricting. Why the hell this law firm felt the need to invite its interns and their families to this annual fall fundraising gala was beyond Dean. He sure as hell didn’t have any money to donate. But with Sam giving him those puppy dog eyes and insisting all the other interns would be going with their families, well – Dean crumbled fast.

The kid had been so excited when he found out he got the internship, and Dean had been genuinely happy for him, proud of his little brother who was already doing great things. But then the internship started, bringing with it long hours and an array of unexpected expenses Dean wasn’t ready for. Apparently one suit wasn’t enough and the interns needed cell phones, not to mention the money spent on transport and random dinners Sam insisted were “networking” opportunities. The worst part though was the fact Dean barely got to see his brother anymore; Sam often got home just when Dean was leaving, and the omega knew he must be doing his homework late into the night.

Of course, when he did talk to Sam the kid was always rambling about how great the firm was – what impressive cases they were on, what amazing thing his boss did. He definitely had some hero-worship thing going on, and it had Dean worried. Most of his stories involved his boss getting some corrupt businessman or crime boss off the hook, and the omega had to wonder where his brother’s passion for helping the less fortunate went. Naturally, the one time he brought it up with Sam he'd brushed him off. Something about this job being a stepping stone. Still, Dean wanted to meet this boss tonight, scope him out and see what type of role model his brother had found. He was trying to keep an open mind, but the man sounded like bad news. Dude’s name was Lucifer for fuck’s sake.

Giving up on the tie Dean huffed out of the bathroom, only to find his brother already immaculately dressed and ready to go.

“There’s gonna be free food at this thing, right?”

“I don’t know Dean, I’m sure there will be. Just, please – try not to do anything too embarrassing?”

“Embarrassing? Like what?”

“I don’t know, these people just – I work with them, you know?”

“What, so I shouldn’t have brought baby pictures?”

His brother groaned at that, pulling on his hair before turning to the door.

“I mean it Dean, best behavior.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

Dean brushed it aside, playing it cool; he didn’t want his brother to know he was terrified of being around these ritzy lawyer people. Going tonight just meant he could screw things up for Sam, and Dean would never forgive himself if he did that. Every instinct he had was screaming that they would see right through him, know he wasn’t one of them. Shaking his head, he focused on getting into the right mindset. He could do this, damn it; he worked with people for a living. Time to dole out the charm.

 

* * *

 

Okay, so he only knew how to charm when it involved getting people into bed. Sue him.

Sam had lead him into the banquet hall, immediately navigating through the crowd and introducing him to a myriad of people in formal wear. He had smiled, shaken hands, said handy man when they asked for his job and changed the subject when he saw their strained smiles in response. The conversations always quickly flowed to legal or political topics, words being thrown about Dean didn’t even know the meaning of. Ignoring the anxiety rising inside him he simply smiled and nodded, desperately grabbing a flute of champagne from a passing waiter. He knew this was a bad idea.

Sam dragged him over to meet a few more people, eventually running off with another intern and leaving Dean with a “be right back” and a group of betas. The omega stood there for three more minutes before faking a laugh along with the others and excusing himself, moving to a table lined with snacks to gather a plate and stand awkwardly at the back of the room.

It really was a beautiful space, the cream colored walls and golden leafing creating an open, decadent feeling. In a way it made him feel small, though also as if he was in another time and place. His mind briefly jumped to the documentary on French architecture Cas had on the other day, and he wondered if the man would've liked the space. Somehow he felt like the alpha would find it all a bit too over the top.

His mind often drifted to thoughts of his favorite client as of late, noting little things he thought Cas would like or find funny. He knew he was acting like a love sick pup, but be couldn't seem to help himself. Something about the man had found its way under Dean's skin, be it his smile, his dorky sense of humor, or even his love of boring documentaries. Hell, the omega was even singing ballads in the shower, much to his brother's mocking delight. Speaking of which, where did Sam go...

Scanning the hall for his brother, he balked when he saw the familiar balding head of his decidedly not-so-favorite client. Shit. What was Zachariah doing here? Looking quickly for an exit, Dean bolted in the opposite direction, barely missing a collision with a blur of red hair.

“Woah there!”

“Oh my god I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean –“

“Hey, it’s cool man.” Dean blinked, realizing the woman in front of him was an omega. The only other unmated one here judging by her scent. She seemed to realize the same thing, smile erupting as she stuck out her hand. “Charlie. One of the partner’s assistants. And you are?”

“Dean. Older brother of one of the interns.” He took her hand, shaking it firmly.

“Excellent. At least we know no one will interrupt us in an attempt to network.”

Dean let out a snort at that, looking around the room again to make sure Zachariah hadn’t seen him.

“Avoiding someone?”

“That obvious?”

“Well, it comes with the territory. Some of the older alphas especially don’t know how to keep their hands to themselves. Still stuck in the good old days when we omegas had no rights and couldn’t leave the house. Who’s been bugging you?”

Dean paused, wondering whether it was better to be truthful. He figured it couldn’t hurt.

“Zachariah Adler.”

“Ugh, that guy? He’s one of the worst. Always shows up to these functions and gets handsy. At the last benefit he ‘accidentally’ brushed up against my tits, so I ‘accidentally’ spilled my punch all over him. Dude had to go home early.”

That drew a laugh out of Dean, the mental image more satisfying than it should’ve been.

“Oh, but you see that guy over there? Well, let me tell you about last year’s Christmas party. See…”

Charlie went on to tell Dean all about which alphas to avoid, filling him in on the office scandals and gossip over the years. For the first time that night he actually understood the conversation; he even bunted a few Star Wars references back and forth, pleasantly surprised to find Charlie was both funny and into the same stuff as him. He was actually enjoying himself when she looked over at the other side of the room, eyes squinting.

“Hey, I think I see my boss over there. I better go say hello. Will you be okay without me?”

“Yeah, I’ll go look for my brother. Thanks, though.”

“No problem! We omegas have to stick together, right?” Dean smiled, having never really had the time to make friends since presenting but liking the idea.

“Oh, but hey! Come find me later and I’ll give you the details about my LARPing tournament! I’m telling you, you’d love it!” With a nod from Dean, the girl held up her hands in two ‘live long and prosper’ signs, walking backwards two steps before turning to find her boss. Dean sighed at being alone again in a room of stuffy people. He tentatively began searching the crowd for his brother, steering clear of the one other familiar face there; he’d had enough encounters to know that some clients didn’t understand what ‘off the clock’ meant, and he didn’t want to get into that here. Eventually he spotted a floppy mop of brown hair in a small group of people, all facing the same man who seemed to be dominating the conversation. Dean approached slowly, tapping his brother on the shoulder.

“Oh, Dean! There you are! I want you to meet my boss, Lucifer Novak. Mr. Novak, this is my brother Dean.”

“Nice to meet you, Dean.” The man held out his hand, words smooth and expression tailored into a schmoozing smile that didn’t hide the condescension behind his eyes. The omega couldn’t help noticing the man’s expensive suit, the purposeful way he held himself. Everything about him screamed one hundred percent alpha. It made Dean nervous.

“Likewise,” the omega offered, shaking his hand and marveling at how cold it was. “Sam’s told me a lot about you. He really enjoys working at the firm.”

“I would hope so. Someone as talented as Sam is just the type of person we look for; he’s got a bright future ahead of him, if he wants it.”

Dean didn’t like how the man rested his hand on Sam’s shoulder, his whole persona predatory; but seeing the beaming expression on his brother’s face, he decided to keep his mouth shut.

“So what is it you do, Dean?”

“Handyman.” He smiled, shoving his hands in his pockets.

“Oh, how nice.” The man’s voice was dripping with honey, sickly sweet and undeniably covering his distaste. Dean suddenly felt like gum on his shoe, mind blank as he tried to figure out how to respond.

“It pays the bills,” is what he settled on, trying to ignore Sam’s look of discomfort. Guess he embarrassed the kid after all.

“Excuse me,” he murmured, turning away to retrieve another flute of champagne from a waiter rushing past them. Desperately trying to think of conversation topics, he paused to take a deep breathe, reminding himself that he just had to smile and seem pleasant. That’s all people really expected from omegas, anyway. Turning back to the group he took a sip of his drink, almost choking as he saw who had joined the group.

“I don’t believe you’ve met my brother before. Sam, Dean, this is Castiel, my youngest sibling. He works for our brother Michael over at Novak Industries. Castiel, this is one of my interns, Sam, and his brother, Dean.”

The alpha had froze, surprise etched on his face. Dean knew he probably mirrored his expression, but not so much at the sight of Cas – his stare was focused at the woman on his arm.

“Castiel, aren’t you going to introduce them to your date?” Lucifer asked, clearly suspecting something amiss but wanting to smooth the situation over.

“I – yes, nice to meet you Sam and Dean. Let me introduce you to Meg Masters.” Meg held out a hand, a smirk-like smile on her face. Dean shook it dumbly as he took her in. She had curly brown hair and dark red lipstick, figure accented by a clingy burgundy dress - beautiful, and a beta, and looking at Dean with sardonic amusement. Sam was saying something, shooting Dean suspicious looks out of the corner of his eye, but Dean heard none of it over the sound of his own heart breaking.

“Meg and Castiel met in business school, have been inseparable ever since, really. I’m beginning to wonder when they’ll finally tie the knot.” The joke was met with loud laughter from the slightly tipsy businessmen around them, clearly trying to schmooze their boss. Dean was slack faced for only a moment before joining with a fake chuckle, acutely aware of the pair of eyes boring into him from a few feet away.

“Oh, Luc, always the charmer.” The woman’s voice was nasally and sarcastic, comfortable enough with Cas’ brother to use such informal address. Clearly they’d spent time with each other before, Castiel having already introduced her to his family. Lovely.

The conversation quickly delved back into business territory, Castiel recovering enough to participate but still shooting sideways glances at Dean way too often not to be conspicuous. Meg on the other hand was fully immersed in the conversation, quick-witted and shooting remarks back and forth with ease. Even though his stomach burned with resentment towards her, Dean couldn’t help admiring how she commanded respect from the men around her. Still, after a while she seemed to notice him staring.

“Hey sweetheart, you might want to straighten your tie. It’s a little crooked.” Dean blinked before realizing she was talking to him, glint in her eye and small smirk still in place. Looking down, he saw of course she was right; it had been crooked all evening.

“Right, um…I better fix it. Excuse me.” Dean turned and tried not to sprint out of the room, the smell of amber, wood, and violet wafting from the hand she had pointed his way. It was an earthy, floral scent. One that would go great with Cas’.

Trotting through the halls he felt pain crawling up his throat, threatening to crush his chest and knock the breathe out of his lungs. Deciding he needed fresh air, he swiftly went out the first exit he could find and ended up in some sort of garden. It was dark, the light from the windows only stretching so far. He relished the feeling of being covered by night, feeling hidden. He wanted to hide from the world for a week at this point.

It had to be a misunderstanding. A dream. Cas wasn't like that. The man who was so kind, so gentle with him, who treated him like he was something precious, he wouldn't -

Except clearly he had. This wasn't some run off date. This is someone who'd met his family, who his brother joked about him mating with. Someone who went to business school and could hold her own at these fancy galas, who was better for Cas in every conceivable way. Dean couldn't compete with that.

How could he have been so stupid? Of course Cas had someone else. Someone actually worthy of mating, of starting a life together with. The man was perfect - gorgeous, smart, and kind, with a well paying job to boot. He probably had people throwing themselves at him. Why Dean ever thought himself special was a mystery. And what killed him is he had prepared against this. Yet all the rules he had set up for himself, had lived by for the past seven years, were thrown out the window at the first sight of pretty blue eyes and a strong jaw line. It was one thing to let himself daydream, to pretend, but at some point without realizing he had started to hope –

No. He wasn’t going there. It was stupid. This whole thing was fucking stupid. How could he even be upset? They had made no promises to each other. The man owed him nothing. Dean had just gotten in over his head, letting himself mistake the man’s kindness for something more.

Cas was just a client, was always just a client, and Dean had let himself forget. But this was just the reminder he needed. There were alphas like Castiel and there were omegas like him, and despite what those stupid fairy tales said there was never a happily ever after. There was just Dean, whoring himself out, and Cas, looking for what his girlfriend apparently wouldn’t offer.

Hell, Cas hadn’t even mentioned he had a brother who was a lawyer. After all those long conversations that went deep into the night, all the times Dean went on about Sam’s dreams of going to law school, and the alpha didn’t mention it once. Dean had bared his fucking soul, had told him almost everything about him, but the man hadn’t even shared that he had another brother.

And didn’t that just make Dean feel foolish.

Of course, it made sense. You don’t tell a whore about your well-known, successful family member. Look at what happened with Balthazar – the omega had found out his client was the sister of a senator and blackmailed his way to a hundred thousand dollars. There was some truth behind the phrase ‘don’t trust a whore.’

Ire twisted with his heartache, humiliation warring inside of him. The man had let him go on and on, had acted like he cared, and this whole time he didn’t even…

No. Dean had played the fool for a while, but he was back in control now. Clearly he didn’t mean to Cas what Cas had meant to him, and that was fine. He was nothing if not a fucking professional.

Looking at his watch, he realized he’d been gone for close to twenty minutes. Though he felt shaky, like facing all the people at this party was a herculean task, he knew he’d better get back inside before Sam went looking for him. Bracing himself he walked back through the door, into the well lit hallway where he blinked back the sudden brightness.

Taking a right he journeyed back to where he came from, the voices of the people in the main hall guiding his way. Just as he was getting close, his heart stopped at the voice of someone behind him.

“Dean! There you are – I’ve been looking for you everywhere.”

The omega looked back at none other than Castiel, and though he knew he’d have to face him eventually, at that moment he couldn’t.

“Hey. Sorry, my brother’s looking for me. Gotta go.” Without waiting for a reply he hurried back into the crowded hall, shoulders hunched as he tried to make himself look smaller. Sure it was cowardly, but he’d promised Sam he wouldn’t embarrass him and that meant pretending everything was fine for the moment.

He searched for his brother, darting through the crowd and looking out for familiar faces. Not finding him in the main room he exited into another hallway, trying to look inconspicuous as he wandered around.

“Dean!”

And there was Sam, calling out from behind. Guess his brother was looking for him after all.

“Dean, what the hell was that in there?”

The omega blinked, face immediately smoothing over.

“What do you mean?”

“Don’t play dumb Dean. You freak out at the sight of Mr. Novak’s brother, then disappear for thirty minutes? What’s going on.”

“Nothing. Nothing’s going on.”

“Is he a client?”

“Sam!” Dean hissed, looking around to make sure no one heard.

“You’re always mooning about your client, ‘Cas.’ Is ‘Cas’ short for Castiel? As in the Castiel that’s my boss’ brother?”

And damn it all, why did his brother have to be so observant? Dean didn’t answer, crossing his arms and looking away. He didn’t have to though, the truth was plain on his face. Sam let out an exaggerated groan.

“What are people going to say if they find out my brother is sleeping with the boss’ brother?”

“They won’t say anything because no one is going to find out, okay?”

“After you acted so damn obvious in there!? For Christ’s sake Dean, people are probably already talking!”

“Look, why don’t –“

“Sam! Hey!” Dean looked up as his brother whirled around, both staring at a young alpha peaking out of the doorway.

“Some of the interns are going to Lucifer’s office to hear war stories, you coming?”

“Yeah, Brady, I’ll be there in a second.”

The teen looked between the two of them, obviously sensing the tension.

“Well, don’t wait too long, man. You know how the boss feels about tardiness.”

With that the alpha was off, leaving the brothers alone once more.

“We’re not done talking about this, Dean. I’ll meet up with you later.”

“Whatever.”

Sam walked away, drawing himself up taller and straightening his jacket. The sight made Dean feel like his brother was growing up while he was falling behind. It had a sharp, painful feeling gnawing at his stomach.

Knowing Sam wouldn’t need him for a while, Dean decided to walk back to the garden he’d found before, stepping back into the banquet hall to get to the right side of the building. Making his way through the crowd he paused, looking around and trying to remember which way he’d come from. It was while he was standing there he noticed Cas halfway across the room, catching his eye and suddenly moving as if to walk towards him. Dean balked, not wanting to talk to him in this room full of people, and immediately turned and inserted himself into a conversation beside him. He could see Cas stop in his tracks, unreadable look on his face as he paused and eventually turned and walked elsewhere. Dean felt bad, but it didn’t overwhelm his relief. Focusing back on the conversation he’d joined, he actually listened for the words.

“And then he said, ‘did I say merger? I meant acquisition!’”

There was an uproar of laughter in the group, Dean playing along to not look too out of place.

It was going to be a long night.

 

* * *

 

It felt like an eternity before Dean was able to extract himself from the party, slowly making his way to the hallway until he’d finally made a run for it. Of course now that he was there he didn’t really recognize much, wandering around looking for the side door he’d found before and coming up empty. Naturally, it was right when he was going to turn around that he ran into the man he’d been avoiding all night.

“Dean.”

“Oh, hey Cas, didn’t see you there. Listen, I gotta –“

He tried edging around the man with a vague gesture, only to be surprised when the alpha grabbed his arm.

“Stop. You’ve been avoiding me all evening.”

And Dean didn’t have a response to that, shame at his childishness simmering inside him. He was trying to think of what to say when he suddenly heard a familiar pompous voice approaching down the hall.

“Dean -”

“Shhh.” The omega cut him off, putting out a finger as his ears strained. Yeah, that was definitely Zachariah.

“Crap.” He muttered, trying to pull away and getting annoyed when Cas held tight.

“Dean, what –“

“Let go of - quick, in here.” Giving up on escaping them both, Dean grabbed Cas back and dragged him into the closest escape he could find: a nearby supply closet. He barely managed to tug the door shut, both men uncomfortably cramped in the small space.

“Dean, why are we – “

“Shhh. Quiet.”

The omega could practically feel the other man’s confusion in the dark, choosing to ignore it in favor of pressing up against the door. He listened as Zachariah’s voice got progressively louder, pausing outside the door for a moment before slowly quieting. Once it had completely faded away he relaxed, moving to open the door. Unfortunately, when he tried to jiggle the knob it wouldn’t budge.

“You’ve got to be fucking kiddi - “

“What?”

“It’s stuck.”

“The door?”

“No, the mop. Yes the fucking door.”

“Here, let me try it.”

Dean rolled his eyes. Of course the alpha’s going to insist on trying it. They might be stuck because Dean couldn’t move it with his puny omega strength. The two shuffled awkwardly as they re-positioned, shoved together way too tightly in the small space. Finally Cas got a good grip on the door, pulling and shoving until he gave up with a huff of annoyance.

“What now?”

“Hell if I know.”

“You’re the one who dragged us in here.”

“Yes, but li’l old me was relying on your alpha strength to free us.”

“Dean.”

“Cas.”

The alpha sighed, slumping in the small space. They sat like that in silence for what felt like hours, though it couldn’t have been more than a few minutes.

“You’ve been avoiding me all evening.” Dean could hear the pout in his voice.

“Yeah, well I’m not avoiding you now. What do you want, Cas?”

And while he wanted it to sound stern, in control, defensive even, all that came out was tired. Cas seemed to sense this, stance no longer sulking and body angled to take in the omega.

“She’s just a friend. Meg. From business school. We’re not actually together.”

And boy where those words Dean wanted to hear, but he’d heard it all before – the explanations, the excuses, clients weighed down with guilt trying to talk away their shame.

“It’s okay Cas, you don’t have to –“

“Dean, please believe me.”

“She’s met your brother. Your family. He jokes about you two mating.”

“Because we’ve been pretending to be the other’s date for years. Our families place a lot of pressure on the both of us, Dean, to find someone and get mated. It’s easier to go with Meg and pretend.”

He stopped, waiting for Dean to say something, but the omega was too busy wrestling with self-doubt.

“I’m not dating anyone.” A hand reached out to cup his face, thumb tracing reassuringly over his cheekbone. “And I don’t intend to.” There was a pause, the alpha coming a step closer. “Just so you know.”

The omega felt the breathe catch in his throat, the words the closest thing to a promise of more Cas had ever made to him. It would be so easy to forget this all ever happened, to go back to the little bubble of Cas’ apartment they’d been living in, but…

“What about your brother?”

“What?”

“You never mentioned you had a brother who’s a lawyer.”

There was a pause, the alpha quiet.

“What, it honestly didn’t come up, right?”

“…as you can see, I come from a well-known family. It’s not just about me, there are precautions I must take –“

“To protect them and their reputation, right. Wouldn’t want your whore blackmailing you.”

The confirmation of his thoughts from earlier left a sour taste in his mouth, as if he had swallowed battery acid. He didn’t miss the intake of breath from the alpha.

“Don’t call yourself that.” It was growled out, the lack of denial stinging Dean more than he would ever admit.

“Whatever, Cas.”

“Dean.”

The man sounded frustrated, though Dean could only smell an undercurrent of concern coming off the alpha. Curious.

“I wanted to tell you. About everything.“

“I get it Cas, you don’t have to say anything.“

“My family has rigid expectations, Dean.”

Okay, so they were doing this.

“I’ve lived my whole life following them, obeying their rules. I’m not the only one with…special interests, or the only one who has hired someone to indulge those interests. But that just means they have rules about that too. Lucifer especially.”

“And what, if you broke them he’d sue you?”

Castiel paused, lowering his voice to a whisper.

“My brother deals with a lot of unsavory people.”

“If you’re talking about the rich folks out at that party –“

“No Dean, I’m being serious. He keeps a lot of his work secret, under the table. I don’t know much about it. But he’s made it very clear we’re not to mention it to those outside the family. I don’t know what he’d have done if I’d told you about him Dean, if anything at all, I really don’t, but I didn’t want to risk it.”

“Wait, back up – is this guy dangerous? What about Sam?”

“Your brother is fine, Lucifer wouldn’t involve his interns in that kind of work. Sam doesn’t know anything. He’s safe.”

“How can you be sure?”

“Because I am. Please, Dean, if I thought for a moment Sam was in danger I would warn you, help you get him out of there. I promise I won’t let anything happen to him, you have my word.”

“I knew that guy was a creep. God damn it, I need to pull him out of this internship –“

“Dean, no – that would just look more suspicious. Sam is fine. And this is still a great opportunity for him. Please, don’t take my words to mean my brother is an imminent threat. I chose not to mention him to you because I was being overly cautious. You are too important to me Dean.”

And the omega didn’t really know what to say to that, the sentiment mingling with a strange warm feeling that had started around the alpha’s display of protectiveness for Sam.

He didn’t really know what to think. It wasn’t like he’d never heard of lawyer’s doing shady shit before, if anything a rich lawyer like Lucifer being involved in organized crime was kind of expected. It certainly aligned with some of the stories Sam had told him. And yet…

“Please believe me, Dean, this has nothing to do with me not trusting you, or thinking you might blackmail my family. I told you about Michael, didn’t I? He is just as successful as Lucifer, if a bit more upstanding.”

And yeah, that was true – Cas had told him about Michael, the self-righteous perfectionist he worked under. Suddenly Dean felt ridiculous, embarrassment curling around his stomach.

“Dean?”

“It’s okay, Cas. I believe you.”

He could feel the tension leaking out of the alpha, his own guilt at jumping to conclusions rising.

“Sorry. For overreacting.”

“Dean, you weren’t – it’s okay to be upset, you know. I just wish you would’ve let me explain earlier.”

“Yeah…I can be pretty hard-headed sometimes.”

Dean felt the alpha shifting in the dark, hand coming to rest on his face.

“You’ve been hurt so many times in the past you’ve come to expect the worst in people. I’m trying my best to change that.”

Dean leaned forward, pressing an awkward peck against the alpha’s lips.

“You’re doing a pretty good job, then.”

He could swear he saw the alpha’s smile in the dark, genuinely pleased at Dean’s praise. The omega relaxed against him, letting his mind wander as he thought about everything with Lucifer. Still, one thought repeatedly pushed at the back of his mind.

“She’s really just a friend?”

Dean felt the alpha huff, an arm moving to wrap around his waist and pull him closer. They were awkwardly positioned and crushed close together, but Dean didn’t care. Fuck it if he was lying to himself earlier. He wanted to believe.

“Yes, Dean. A lesbian, actually. We’ve been keeping our families from prying into each other’s love lives for years.”

And damn if that didn’t make him feel better. He settled into the alpha, resting his head against his chest. The man held onto him tighter, as if afraid he might lose him again.

“Though I’ve been thinking…Meg and I have been pretending to be together a long time. Our families are expecting something more, a natural progression if you will. Since neither of us wants to take that next step with each other, it might be best if we ‘broke up.’”

That had Dean relaxing even further, resisting the urge to roll his eyes at the air quotes he could practically hear.

“Though of course, I would need someone else to bring to family functions.”

Closing his eyes, he breathed in the man’s familiar scent.

“’kay.”

“And I was hoping that someone would be you.”

The omega’s eyes flew open, not sure if he heard him right.

“What?”

“I would pay you for your time of course, and give you plenty of advanced noticed, and we could discuss the details more if you’d like…”

The alpha rambled on, Dean trying to hide his immediate disappointment. When he'd said he wanted to take Dean to his family functions, the omega had thought...Okay, so he hadn’t learned his lesson from before. Hoping was stupid. Still, he was surprised at what Cas was propositioning.

“...and we could tell them we met tonight at this event, and then –“

“Wait, Cas. Back up. Are you sure about this? You know I’m never going to be able to fit in like Meg can. I can’t carry on conversations about business or tell witty jokes. I’d probably embarrass you.”

“Impossible.”

“Uh, no, it really –“

“Dean. I would be so lucky to have you as my date. If you’re amenable. I don’t want to push you into something you don’t want.”

“No Cas, it’s not that I don’t want to, it’s just – I don’t want to disappoint you.”

“Dean Winchester. You are the bravest, most selfless person I have ever met. The only way you could disappoint me is if you said no.”

And that had the omega blushing, grateful they were standing in the dark.

“If you’re sure, then…okay. Just don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

"Alright. I have been duly warned." And while he said it in his usual deadpan, Dean could hear the excitement in his voice, how happy he was that Dean had accepted. And didn't that make Dean feel wanted.

Instead of speaking he pressed his lips against the alpha’s, his body a hard line against the other’s as he tried to express just how much he appreciated him. Castiel responded with fervor, the hand on his cheek moving to grip the back of Dean’s hair, other one gripping his waist to pull him impossibly closer.

“Did I mention,” he pulled back with a growl, forehead resting against Dean’s and mouths centimeters apart, “that you look amazing in that suit.” He dove back into the kiss, not giving Dean time to respond. The omega felt a flush spread down his neck, his inner omega pleased at the compliment.

He groaned when Cas suddenly gripped his hair, yanking his head back to gain access to his throat.

“You don’t look too bad yourself.” Dean managed to gasp out as the man sucked and licked at his neck, pulling aside his collar to lave attention on the one spot that always made the omega moan. Hands clinging uselessly to the man’s back, Dean somehow managed to snake them down to the alpha’s ass, giving it a firm squeeze. The man responded by nipping at his jaw, the hand around his waist moving to slip beneath his waist band. His touch had Dean mindlessly thrusting his hips forward, grinding into the alpha’s crotch and finding a sizeable bulge there. Cas let out a filthy groan before attacking his mouth again.

They made out like teenagers for who knows how long, unable to comfortably undress but dry humping over their clothes with enthusiasm Dean hadn’t felt in years. He was hard and aching, barely holding back his moans and totally engrossed in the utter perfection that was Castiel’s lips. In fact, he was just thinking how he wished it could go on forever when the jammed door suddenly opened.

Both men froze, Dean simultaneously relieved and horrified to see it was just Sam and--strangely enough--the red-headed omega he’d met earlier. Both were completely still, staring at them with wide eyes. Dean didn’t blame them, he was sure they made quite the sight – Castiel’s hair stuck up all over the place with one of the omega’s hands still buried in it, the other resting on the man’s ass; Dean’s shirt and tie undone as the alpha’s hands groped his back and abdomen; both of their lips red and puffy from kissing, and to top it all off, two obvious tents in their pants. He certainly gave Sam nightmare material for a few months.

Eventually Charlie broke the silence, seemingly the first to come to her wits. “So…do you want us to come back later, or…”

“No!” Both men blurted, each starting to shuffle around. Cas hastily disentangled himself first, stepping out of the closet and holding out a hand to guide Dean out as well. Despite the pissed off look slowly replacing shock on his brothers face, both Sam and Charlie stepped back to give them privacy, watching for anyone coming. Dean and Cas hastily straightened their clothing, tucking their shirts back in and in Dean’s case, failing to re-do his tie.

“Here, let me.”

The omega stilled as Castiel grasped it, expertly looping it around and straightening it so it was done perfectly for the first time all evening. Dean had to admit he liked how domestic it felt. They paused to look at each other with dopey smiles, Castiel’s hands still gripping his tie, until Sam let out an aggravated groan.

“For the love of god – Dean!” The omega could already see his brother’s ears turning red, frustration boiling under the surface. Yeah, catching him making out with his brother’s boss in a janitor’s closet probably fell under the whole “don’t embarrass me” thing. Still, in the afterglow of his makeout session he couldn’t bring himself to feel too bad about it.

“Sorry you had to see that.” Cas interjected, looking awkward as he faced the other two. “But thank you. The door was jammed and we were stuck in there.”

Charlie looked delighted, some variation of this probably going to end up in her gossip reel. Sam, on the other hand, drew himself up, arms crossing as he glared at the other alpha. Dean was torn between rolling his eyes and laughing at his brother’s attempt at posturing, coming off looking incredibly young compared to the grown man in front of him. Much to his surprise though Cas responded, straightening up and staring him down. Dean really did roll his eyes this time, the two of them being completely ridiculous. Did they forget he was _right there_?

“Well, we should probably get going.” He gave his brother a pointed look, but the teen was focused on his staring contest. The omega glanced over at Charlie, her giving an exaggerated eyeroll and shrug. Dean sighed. He wasn’t going to sit around all night for this shit.

“Sam. Now.” He used his full parental authority voice and was pleased to see it still had effect. His brother reluctantly averted his eyes, slouching his shoulders as he moved to stand beside Dean. Castiel looked pleased until he saw the unimpressed look from the omega, at least then having the decency to appear sheepish.

"Well, we're gonna head out." 

“Dean, hold on – let me get a company car to take you home.”

“You really don’t have to –“

“Please, I insist. Meet me at the front entrance in a few minutes, alright?” With a hesitant nod from the omega the alpha turned, brusquely walking away. Dean faced the remaining two, Sam looking dejected and angry while Charlie mimed fanning herself dramatically behind him. Dean cleared his throat.

“So how did you two find us…?”

“Oh, Sam was asking around looking for you. When he told me he couldn’t find you I thought about our conversation earlier and well…wanted to help him out with the search.”

And yeah, he would’ve probably jumped to the same conclusion if he’d been in Charlie’s shoes. He briefly felt bad for worrying her, but was also relieved to know there was another person there who understood the omega experience, who would’ve had his back.

“But hey, this all worked out! Now I can give you my details. Here.” She shoved a folded-up piece of paper at him, phone number scrawled on it in chicken scratch. Leaning forward, she whispered to him conspiratorially “and then you can fill me in on how you snagged the hottie in that closet, hmm? Because I think I got his date.” She winked at Dean’s shocked face, pulling back to address the both of them.

“Well, it was great meeting you two. Sam, I’m sure I’ll see you around the office. Peace out!”  She walked off, bubbly as ever, leaving the two brothers alone. They stood there quietly for a moment before Dean decided to break the silence.

“Maybe we should head on over to the entrance. Do you need to say goodbye to anyone?”

“No. Let’s just leave.” His brother was in full on sulking mode now, arms crossed and looking sullenly at the ground.

“Fine by me.” Dean led the way, walking towards what he thought was the front entrance. Eventually they made it to the door, Castiel waiting by it while talking to a random beta couple. He excused himself when they approached.

“Sam, Dean. Let me take you to your car.” He led them outside, opening the door for them as Sam gestured petulantly for Dean to get in first. The omega knew it was his brother’s way of trying to stop any last minute goodbye between him and Cas. Shooting his brother the stink eye, he gave Cas a flirtatious mouthed ‘call me’ before getting in. Sam followed suit, shutting the door sharply before Cas could close it for him. Okay, so maybe that wasn’t the best introduction.

They sat in silence the first five minutes of the ride, Dean content to play the silent treatment game. But Sam caved after five minutes and put up the divider, turning to Dean in anger.

“What the hell, Dean?”

“How was the rest of the evening for you, Sammy?”

“I asked you to do one thing – one thing! – and that was not embarrass me. And what do you do? You go and make out with my boss’ brother during the gala!”

“Come on, Sam, it’s not like I meant for it to happen.”

“That’s just it Dean! You didn’t think! You just did what you wanted. Did you stop to think how that might affect my career?”

“Your career? You mean your high school internship.”

“These things matter, Dean! The legal profession is a small community. What if other people found out? Everyone would think I got the job because my brother was sleeping with the boss’ brother.”

“Yeah, well you’re only able to afford to do this internship because I’m sleeping with your boss’ brother.”

The bitch face his brother directed at him at that comment might have withered lesser men.

“So he is the same guy then? This Cas you’ve been pining over for months?”

“I have not been _pining_. Yeah, Cas is a client. Go figure. Second one there tonight. We ended up trapped in the closet together because I was hiding from the other one. I know it may not seem like it Sam, but I really was trying to avoid embarrassing you.”

“You have a real shitty way of showing it.”

“Hey! Language!”

“You curse all the time!”

“And I’m not sixteen!”

“You’re only six years older than me.”

“And infinitely more mature.”

“You know you’re gonna have to stop seeing him, right?”

“What?”

“Castiel. You can’t be seeing my boss’ brother as a client, Dean.”

“Sam, I am not dropping Cas as a client because you’re freaking out right now. In case you haven’t noticed, all of my client relationships are strictly confidential – the very last group of people I’d want to know about them are those connected to the legal system, for obvious reasons. So cool your jets. I know it might seem like the end of the world now, but everything is going to be fine.”

The alpha crossed his arms, looking out the window with a pinched expression on his face. They were silent the next five or so minutes, both brother’s processing.

“You like him.”

“Hmm?” Dean had been deep in thought, wondering just how serious this legal community stuff was. Maybe he should ask Cas.

“This Castiel guy. You really like him.”

“Uh…yeah, I mean he’s a cool guy, my favorite client –“

“No. Not like a client. You like him, like you want to be with him.”

Dean was silent, not sure how to respond to that. Because yeah. He couldn’t really deny it after his freak out tonight. He was pretty far gone on the guy.

“He makes you happy.”

And there was something strangely unhappy about the way Sam said it, as if the thought upset him.

“Does that bother you?”

“No.”

Looking over at his brother, Dean raised his brow.

“No I just…I never realized how _unhappy_ you were. Until tonight. You smelled so different, and I couldn’t place the scent until I realized wow – that’s what Dean smells like when he’s happy. You never smell like that at home.”

“Sam…” Dean murmured, unsure how to respond or explain. “Cas does make me happy. He makes me feel safe, secure in ways I haven’t felt since I was four. Protected and cared for.”

His brother was quiet, upset still radiating from him.

“But it’s a different kind of happy. Like when you see Jess – you’re happy when you guys hang out, right? Just being with her?”

And while Sam blushed, he gave a small nod, looking down at his shoes.

“It’s a different scent because it’s a different type of happy. And yeah, I’ve never brought anything like that home before. But that doesn’t mean I haven’t been happy there. Or with you.”

The alpha was still looking down sullenly, though he seemed a little less upset.

“Come on, remember that time we lit fireworks in that abandoned lot? Or, what about that time we snuck out after dad passed out and went to that carnival? Those are some of my happiest memories Sam. And they were with you.”

He elbowed the alpha, relieved to see his shoulders losing some of their tension at his words.

“You’re my brother, man. Nothing, nobody is coming between us. Capisce?”

The kid sighed, finally looking up. “Yeah.”

They sat in companionable silence, the omega reflecting on just how wrong he was earlier; his brother was still so incredibly young. He forgot sometimes, with how smart he was.

“Thanks, Dean. For everything, really. I don’t know if I’ve been saying it enough lately.”

The omega hmmed, leaning over to ruffle his brother’s hair, much to the kid’s annoyance. “Oh, I think you could always do a little more thanking. But don’t worry about it, Sam. You’re a good kid.”

“I still don’t trust him though.”

“Cas?”

“Yup.”

“Yeah? You don’t even know him.”

“Then I guess we’ll just have to spend more time together.”

Dean groaned, knowing he walked right into that one. Still, he didn’t think Cas would be too opposed if the opportunity came up. He’d have to wait and see.

“You know there’s nothing actually going on between us, right? We’re not in a relationship.”

His brother gave him an incredulous look, brows high.

“Dean, you may not be conventionally dating, but anyone with eyes can see the two of you are head over heels for each other.”

And while the omega still had his doubts, the possibility of a future with the alpha seeming less likely the further they drove away from the other man’s world, the thought had a dopey smile stretching across his face. He settled back into the plush leather seating, looking out the window at the night sky. Things didn't seem that impossible with his eyes toward the stars.

**Author's Note:**

> aaaand another installment in this verse. Thanks to those of you following along. I hope you enjoyed/let me know what you think!


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